Is Gonzo Being phased out?

Thanks for the comparison. As you can see, the eyes are much smaller, the lids are heavier, even the mouth shape is still and off. The nose is too perfect, and Muppet Babies proportioned... it's not that expressive, and it hurts the performance.

I was watching the movie recently and had noticed that, aside from deleted scenes, between the scene with Gonzo quitting his plumbing business and his blowing the trumpet in the opening he does seem to just be there alot (just like many lesser characters in the film). I don't recall him doing anything real interesting in the clean-up montage. It's a shame he didn't sing a line in the finale.

Thanks for the comparison. As you can see, the eyes are much smaller, the lids are heavier, even the mouth shape is still and off. The nose is too perfect, and Muppet Babies proportioned... it's not that expressive, and it hurts the performance.

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Miss Piggy's construction was greatly improved while Gonzo's design declined. Dave Goelz is a brilliant performer and could get a great performance out of a sock puppet, but there's something particularly magic with the post 90's/pre TM Gonzo design. That puppet has so much more subtlety and range. It's the difference between a Baby Grand and a Casio. A talented person could get a stunning performance from either, but I'd prefer the finer instrument like the one who appears with his handler here...

I felt sad that Gonzo couldn't be part of the Rainbow Connection song with all those other Muppets, since he was still twirling that bowling ball. But at least Gonzo's bowling ball was what saved the day in the end.

In the Disney cruise show called Muppet's Ahoy. I heard that Brett O'Quinn performed Gonzo. Do you think Brett might take over as Gonzo someday?

I felt sad that Gonzo couldn't be part of the Rainbow Connection song with all those other Muppets, since he was still twirling that bowling ball. But at least Gonzo's bowling ball was what saved the day in the end.

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I'm very conflicted about that concept. On the one hand, it puts Gonzo in a position where he was barely there near the end of the movie, but on the other hand it gave us a big pay off for a gag that should have been a running gag if the film editors weren't so clumsy.

Still, to say he's being phased out after only one movie where he has a diminished presence isn't really the case. Most of the last Muppet projects focused more on Gonzo than on Kermit (MCC-MFS and then LTS) so I guess it was a way of averaging everything out.

Its so funny that I stumbled onto this thread today because, as I was watching the Muppet Show a couple of days ago, I was wondering the same thing. Wayne and Wanda were a surprise as was Uncle Deadly. I felt like that was so random. But I was a little disappointed by the way that Gonzo was presented. I've always liked Gonzo and he really wasn't showcased much. Granted, the focus of the movie really wasn't about the relationship between all of the muppets (Outside of Kermit and Piggy) but sometimes it did feel a little like the movie makers were just going "Hey! Remember these guys? Cool right? Now back to Walter."
But if that's a start then it's not a bad one. SO long as the next movie finesses these kinks it might be alright. Like I said, for what the movie was trying to do, I suppose it was alright. Obviously you can't please everyone. I would have liked more, but I understand why there wasn't.

That's such an interesting point about the first season of the Muppet Show being less about Gonzo (I've read interviews where Dave suggests he didn't really 'get' Gonzo's character until season 2 anyway) so I suppose it makes sense for something more nostalgic to focus less on his character.

However, I think its more a case of his having been the center-focus of the last half a dozen movies (Since MCC) so its about time the others got a central role for a change.

Bea{Although having said that, VMC was totally a Kermit/Fozzie movie}regard

I had a bunch of issues with how Gonzo was presented in the movie. For one, he was missing a sidekick. And I hated that he had to miss all of the big Muppet moments at the end of the film, like Rainbow Connection. And there wasn't enough of him in general.

But the one that gets me the most was the part where the others went to collect him. I just couldn't buy cold businessman Gonzo. And that was supposed to have been his persona for twenty years? Even if he was still zany on the inside. I just don't think Gonzo has 'corporate CEO' in him, at all. That part felt very forced by the writing.

But hey, that was just one movie. On to the next, and may Gonzo have several excuses to say "Cool!" in it.